Dimensional Worlds
by HarvestMoonTales
Summary: Modern Day-Katniss Everdeen, soon to be Hawthorne is a Time Travel scientist, trying to enter different dimensions. When she finally achieves her goal, she finds herself in a dimension in the future revolving around a country named Panem. Here she meets a boy, and falls in love. What she must do is make a choice...will she stay with him, or return home and leave Peeta.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A/N: Surprise! I had this plot idea thats been bugging me the last couple of days and I just had to type it out. It's a KatnissxPeeta fic so just wait! Tell me what u think about it!

I get up from my bed and wrap my robe tightly around me, even though I'm the only one at home in my little apartment shortly down from the lab where I study time travel. Everyone I know always doubts my ability to figure out the thereom for Time Travel, including my own fiancé, Gale Hawthorne.

I hear a knock at the door to my apartment and I know that he's here to have breakfast with me and then we'll both head off to out different locations in the University where we work. Gale works in the defence and security unit, mostly on War preparation and indentifying and working with guns and many different types of explosive devices one would find in that department and field.

I unlock the door and Gale walks in, instantly drawing me in his arms.

He kisses me on the top of my head as I snuggle my head into his chest. He has a bit of woodsy smell to him, which is actually quite a strange smell to have if he works inside a building all day long.

"Hey Catnip," he says to me, his voice muffled by my hair.

"Hey," I reply back, and pull away. As much as I love Gale and his affection, I am still very shy about showing any emotions or giving away my heart.

It actually took Gale a lot to even get the chance to talk to me. I always hated social society so I spent almost all my time locked away in a science lab with a calculator and blackboard, trying to understand high-tech theorums. It was only after Gale decided he liked War and defence studies, did we actually meet when I was the only one who could explain the interior of an explosive.

Even after that, Gale was quite persistant to spend time with me, and after many, many years spent together, he kissed me, and it just felt right.

"Breakfast?" I ask him, heading to my small lofted kitchenette.

"Yes please, Catnip. Whadya got?" Gale asks, sitting down at my breakfast nook.

"Store bought bacon and eggs, already prepared, or store bought pancakes?" I ask, and we both laugh at our inside joke.

Even though I am really swell with science and all that jazz, I am a clutz in the kitchen and have no sense of a possible cooking knack or skill. Everything we eat is store bought.

Throughout our breakfast I constantly start reaching for my notebook that I always keep with me no matter where I go, whether it be the shower, the store, work, or like right now, at the table, eating breakfast.

I have a hypothesis on a possible loop hole to get into the demensional worlds besides the one I reside in.

My hand is on its way to its destination when a much stronger and manlier one is placed on top of mine, stopping all thoughts of accessing my world of notes, vortexes and science.

I look up to the owner of the hand. His steel, grey seam eyes search mine, shooting down my desire.

I look down, shamefully, like a little puppy that was caught in the milkbones.

"Catnip, this is supposed to be our time. Where there is no science, no working, no worrying about what's going on; just spending time together. Us," Gale says, tilting my chin up to look me in the eye.

I nod, and look down at my bacon and eggs while Gale holds my hand and draws patterns of guns on it.

"You know, I was thinking about maybe pushing up the Wedding Date to your birthday, which is in three weeks. I know how you don't want a big ordeal, so maybe it'll be good. It'll be quite small, just eloping, and no one will have to know until long after we're married. I miss spending all my time with you. My apartment gets lonely...I want us to finally be together," Gale says thoughtfully.

I think it over in my head, surprised that its even a thought that came from him, even though its not unusual.

"So what do you say?"

"Sure."

Luckily I still remember the formula and hypothesis for the theorem that might just actually lead to a discovery breakthrough.

I walk swiftly to my whiteboard that is covered top to bottom with formulas and equations which have slowly accumulated over many years since I graduated high school.

I pull out my pen from my white stereotypical lab coat and quickly scribble down the thought.

After a few moments of evaluating this new addition, I head over to my actual time machine I have created by welding many pieces of sheet metal together and wiring many electrical surges and adding chemicals at certain formula constructions to achieve accurate results.

I add a Chemical compound to the other chemicals in a container which is connected to the wires and high electrical surges and turn a dial I have on the machine to a selective voltage.

Crossing my fingers and wishing that my theorem is finally going to work, I press a button which allows everything in my contraption to work.

A lightning strike appears along the wires and snakes across to the chemicals. When the two meet, a huge black explosive light flashes in front of me, blinding me from seeing anything.

I feel myself falling into a strange empty vortex with no idea what my surroundings are.

After what seems like forever, my feet impact the ground and I crouch down to steady myself.

As I stand up, a little wobbly and with my ankles sore, I realize that I am no longer wearing my lab coat. I am wearing a pale and worn blue, cotton dress in a warm April atmosphere.

Surrounding me are throngs of young women like me, aged eighteen. However, I am not eighteen. I am twenty. But catching my reflection on a broken piece of glass on the ground beside me, I see myself as an eighteen year old instead.

I gasp.

I am even more startled when a voice rings out among the audience, which causes me to stand on my tip-toes to locate the speaker.

A woman with pink hair stands on a stage looking far more chic in fancy clothes than the rags that I and the rest of the audience seem to wear.

I start to calm down from the terror, but what this woman says next scares the living daylights out of me. I have no idea what's going on and why she's saying these next following words.

"Welcome, welcome. And Happy Hunger Games!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**A/N: Wow! Thanks for all the follows readers! Made my days!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this fanfic. **

* * *

Happy Hunger Games?! What the heck is that?

I look around, trying to grasp an understanding of what's going on. It's not working.

"And now to pick our first tribute, as always, ladies first," the woman in pink on the stage says.

Tribute? For what? Maybe to get back to my dimension?

The pink woman walks carefully across the stage to a spot between two large white bowls holding, from what I can tell are folded up sheets of paper.

She sticks her extremely manicured hand in one bowl on the right and yanks out one piece of paper.

She takes her time to unfold it, and during this time I observe the girls around me and their faces. They look scared.

Finally the lady in pink speaks again.

"Primrose Hawthorne!" the woman calls.

What little chatter there was now becomes dead silence.

Then the crowd begins to part to make way for the lucky girl.

I spot the girl who timidly walks up and makes her way with some wierd looking guards to the front of the stage.

Just seeing her, wearing long blond braids and tears pouring down her face from her bright blue eyes makes my heart ache. I suddenly think into the future, well the future from what dimension I came from and I just think that some little girl that could be mine could have to go through something like this, even though I don't understand why she is crying.

Before I can even think twice about a thought forming, I blurt out among the crowds, "Wait! Wait a second! I volunteer! I volunteer!"

Everyone around me turns to look at me surprised. The little girl has stopped in her tracks and looks at me, doe eyed.

"Go," I say to her gently, trying to let her know that she can go to her family before the guards stop her.

She gapes at me.

"Go!" I say earnestly.

She darts away somewhere inside the crowd.

The guards push me up to the stage and I'm met by the pink lady.

"Well this is quite a rare piece of history; a volunteer for a poor district! Don't be shy, what's your name?" the lady asks.

"Katniss Everdeen," I say to her, a little unsure of what the whole deal is.

The lady nods and then heads over to the other big bowl and fishes for another paper.

"Peeta Mellark!" she calls out.

I spot a boy my age—well the age I am at the moment and he looks shocked.

He walks up slowly, yet confidently to the stage, trying to grasp the reality of what's going on. Maybe he is also new here!

When he stands beside me, we are forced to shake hands and this is when I get a good look at him.

He is a broad shouldered, strong muscled, cute, attractive blond.

When our hands meet, I feel a spark jolt through mine and I am shocked by the feeling. Why am I feeling like this? This is just some guy who'll be my ticket out of here an back to Gale. But looking him in the eye, any thoughts of Gale just disappear.

I shake my head, trying to focus on my goal: trying to get home and getting some research done on this dimension.

A moment later the pink lady leads us out of the stage and the building behind it. I am led to a small room on one side as the boy, Peeta, is led to the other side of hall. I sit there by myself wondering why I am here.

A knock startles me out of my thoughts.

The small little girl with the blonde braids peeks through the crack in the door.

"Excuse me," she says.

"What are you doing here?" I ask her.

"I want to thank you very much for saving me. It means a lot to me. I have to take care of my younger sister since my mother isn't mentally well since the death of my father. Without you, I'd probably die in the arena and my baby sister would die," she says. "Here, I don't have much, other than my father's old pocketwatch, but I want you to have it out of gratitude. You'll never know when you might need it."

"I-I can't take it. Keep it, you could use it to help you survive," I reply, trying to give it back.

"No, I'd feel better if I knew you had it, please, keep it and remember me," she insists.

"Thank you," I say finally, looking down at the gift.

She nods and then leaves the room.

"Wait! Are you related to Gale Hawthorne?"I call out.

She looks surprised at the name. "Yes," she replies and the hardwood door shuts closed.

This girl knows of Gale. How?

The pocket watch steals my attention.

I stare at the treasure. It's golden coloured and rounded brass too. I open it and am met with a weird bird shape within the glass of the clock. I snap it closed and pocket it in my dress after rubbing my thumb over its metal.

What am I going to do with this?

* * *

**Don't forget to review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**A/N: Hey! Sorry guys for the late update! I know I promised that I was going to update last week, however, I've been so busy with assignments and all that lovely junk that I haven't had a chance to write! I hope you guys are still with me on this story! Don't give up! I am going to try as hard as I possibly can to update! You can follow me on tumblr: i-still-want-to-be-me or on twitter: istillwantotbe. Thanks for your support and please review in this chapter! **

* * *

The pink lady comes a few moments later and tells me that it's time to leave for the Capitol.

The Capitol? What the heck is that? Some government name? I can't leave, I should be finding a way back to Gale and my real dimension.

A guard leads me out of the room and I am forced to walk beside this man, who's my age, Peeta Mellark.

As we walk, he doesn't show any emotion, and doesn't look at me.

I however try to read his face. Is he new to this dimension like I am? Are there more time travellers? No, wait, how can he be new if his name was actually called by that lady?

We're sent off on a silver train that looks a lot like some of the trains back home, yet they seem more high tech. Maybe this dimension is more tech-friendly?

I sit beside Peeta whom looks expectantly at a man who is rummaging through different bottles of wine on the dining table.

"Who is that?" I whisper to Peeta.

He looks at me surprised. "Um, our mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, Victor of the 50th games," he says in a deep smooth voice.

"Oh...and who's the lady in pink?"

He looks at me again and then speaks. "Our escort, Effie Trinket."

"I see...why?"

He chuckles. "Don't you pay attention throughout the years of your life here? This is nothing new. Are you joking with me, or are you really telling me the truth?"

"Er...a refresher course please? I hit my head on the floor and I have a concussion?" I lie.

Peeta seems suspicious of me.

"Okay...um...today was reaping day, and we both got chosen to go to fight to the death with twenty-three other tributes in an arena, which is sort of unfortunate for you who just received a concussion now, isn't it?" He says to me just as our mentor, Haymitch sits down in a chair in front of us.

My heart stops beating as he mentions fighting and death. That's what I'm signing up for?! This is not what's going to help me get back to Gale!

"So...any advice on what we need to do?" I ask suddenly, wanting to understand more about what I have to do to get out of this place and back to Gale's waiting arms.

"Stay alive I guess?" Haymitch replies, gulping down a glass of rum.

"What?! That's not very good advice! That's it? This a death sentence! Some of us want to go back home!" I blurt out angrily.

Peeta looks surprised at me.

Haymitch looks suspiciously at me.

"Speaking of home, I don't think I've ever seen you 'round here before...and I know everyone in this damn district. Tell us about yourself," Haymitch says with a certain air about him.

I watch him cautiously as I try not to hesitate to his question. I really don't know what to say to this. It's not like I'm just going to go out there and say, "Yeah, I'm a scientist that was playing with time travel and got herself stuck in some weird dimension by accident", yeah, that'll go by really well.

"Uh, well, um...I stay at home all of the time...I had to...to... take care of my younger sister a lot ...because...uh...because..."

"Because of what?! Spit it out!" Haymitch says sternly.

"Because my father died!" I yell out at him.

Both Haymitch and Peeta sit back in their chairs at this news and the colour drains from their faces.

"I had to pick up the pieces since my mother wasn't really there for us. So I was working all the time from a really young age. I think my mother is finally fit to take care of my younger sister while I'm gone, and if I don't make it back," I say, trying to keep up with my façade.

Peeta looks down at the ground and then quietly speaks, "Oh, I'm sorry about that, Katniss."

Haymitch nods in agreement and then takes a look at his settling rum in his glass.

"Well, you both better make yourselves comfortable. This train ride should take at least five more hours to get to the Capitol," Haymitch says, breaking the tension and exiting the room.

Peeta looks over at me, trying to look into my eyes. I, on the other hand, look away at anything other than him, for some unknown reason and I wait for something to change the uncomfortable mood.

* * *

"Come on you two! We're here in the Capitol! Let's get a move on! We have to get you two into your costumes ASAP!" Effie chirps to us, ushering us out of the train and into the arms of guards.

I don't get much time to take in this place that's been named, The Capitol, but from what I see, it seems to be one technological building. Heck, maybe even more so than the tech I have in my lab back at home.

I am met with a group of funny looking people who whisk me off to some corridor away from Haymitch and Peeta and they say that I am going to get a makeover.

After a while, the people who work on me, whom I'm calling my prep team, leave, and a simple looking man with gold eyeliner enters into the prep room that I wait in.

"Hello, you must be Katniss, correct?" he asks. "I'm Cinna. I'll be your stylist," he says.

I nod. "Why?" I simply ask.

"To make you look good for the sponsors, of course," Cinna says.

"Sponsors?"

"Haven't you seen the games before? Everyone knows about the Games," Cinna says, looking suspiciously at me.

I hesitate. Why do I keep getting myself into these situations?

"Um, I had a concussion this morning and I forgot everything," I quickly say, trying to remember my lie to Peeta.

I suddenly feel guilty.

"Oh, that's terrible! You need sponsors so you can live during the games and become Victor," Cinna explains.

I pretend to look like I understand what he said, even though I hardly don't.

Cinna seems pleased and hands me an outfit. "I'm going with a bit of a dimensional look. Real fire," he says and I'm sent off to go get dressed.

* * *

Peeta and I are dressed alike. We have fire jumping out of our suits which doesn't seem to faze either of us.

The other tributes watch us as I look around for an escape route out of this crazy world. I find lots of strange looking people, but nothing useful. This is getting on my nerves. My time is running out.

When it's time for us to be showcased, I feel like one of the poodles from the TV dog shows and I hate it. We're on a chariot, pretending like everything is honky-dory fine when we're about to be killed.

I am told to stand beside Peeta and told to hold his hand. I wonder, are we supposed to win this thing together? Because I don't want any extra baggage to get myself out of this arena. I won't be able to win this way. But I'll play along, for the cameras.

His hand is much larger than mine and has a soft, but callused feel to it that makes me compare it to Gale's. Gale's has a hard and rough feeing to it that's also very possessive and hurting occasionally. Out of the two, I prefer Peeta's better.

Wait―what?! Why am I even comparing the two and dissing on Gale's? I can't be doing that; he's my fiancé. I've never thought wrong about Gale, so…why now?

The crowds are incredibly loud and boisterous. I don't like it. I never did. That's why Gale and I are having a simple wedding.

We finally have a chance to see the leader of this "Capitol". He's an old man, with a flowing white beard and he has a white rose in his black lapel. He reminds me of the make believe Santa Claus.

But there's something about him that I don't like and I don't know what it is.

* * *

Over the next couple of days we are busy with training and interviews. In training, all we do is play with weapons which is not very interesting since it's all pretty much the same weapons that Gale has shown me when he would be working late at my apartment. Unfortunately, I haven't found anything that I could use to figure out how to get back to my dimension in all my days, so it's imperative to make it out alive from the arena without anyone knowing why.

During the interviews, the interviewer, a blue haired man named Caesar Flickerman asks me about why I volunteered for Prim. I don't know what to respond to that.

Caesar watches me expectantly as do the rest of the Capitol audience.

"Well, I saw how young the little girl was, and seeing her reminded me of my younger sister, and I don't know, I just couldn't let her leave her family because of the games," I say, and surprisingly it feels honest coming out of my mouth. That is the truth, but hey, I might be just becoming a really good actress.

* * *

I wait in my room until I hear every last footfall dissipate. I quickly rise from my bed which even though it is expensive, it is uncomfortable. I pad silently to the door and pull on the handle. It's locked. Oh, so they do have all this technology, but they hide it. Hmmm…sneaky little buggers.

I look at the lock intently for a few moments before I discover a small button on the underside of the knob. Not sneaky enough. I take my hair clasp that I just remembered was in my hair and use the one edge to hit the hidden button. I hear a spring pop and my door swings open. Thank you good ol' Gale's criminology textbook.

I pad down the hall and to a staircase that is located at the end. When I reach the top, I discover that I'm on the roof of the building that we're staying in, and I'm not alone.

"What are you doing here?" Peeta asks, his face hidden by the shadows amidst the moonlight.

"I needed some air. I should ask the same to you," I reply back.

"I don't need to reply; I've the same reason," Peeta says.

I look away from him at his curtness.

"You want to live right?" he asks suddenly.

I nod. "I do," I say.

"For your sister?" he asks.

I nod again after hesitating for a moment, almost forgetting my façade.

Peeta doesn't say anything.

I have this urge to ask him something, but, I don't know what he'll say.

"Peeta―do you know what's outside of this place? What's beyond Panem?" I blurt out.

He seems surprised. "From what I've seen on the computer, there's just woods and…nothing…" he replies.

My eyes bulge. "Did you just say computer? Where?" I ask quickly, trying to not sound excited.

"Back at home. Not sure if you remember this, but, since we're from a poorer district, we're not allowed to have things the Capitol does or other districts do…this is one of them. It's pretty much a secret. It's a really old computer, back way back when," Peeta explains.

"Can I borrow it?" I ask, my mind running through all the possible formulas that I could create on the computer to create a portal back home on that computer.

"Why?" he questions.

I hesitate. How should I say this?

"Because, I can find software for it, and I want to see about what's beyond Panem for my own eyes. It's my dream come true," I say.

Peeta nods. "Of course you can borrow it," he says.

"Thank you. How about when we get back?" I say cheerfully as I start to head back to my room.

Peeta suddenly looks sad. "Yeah, when you get back home," he just replies, his vice laced with sadness, and turns to look out into the city.

"Goodnight," I call with new relief in my voice.

I guess I'll just have to keep Peeta with me after all to get back to Gale.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**  
**A/N: Thanks for the Reviews! They all made my day! Hopefully you'll enjoy this quick update! Sorry again for the fake chapter yesterday about my penname change! That means that my twitter account is now my penname but all in lowercase and soon my tumblr name will be that too! Keep up the reviews/suggestions!**

* * *

I wake in the morning with a new found plan in my brain with my new information that I discovered last night, talking with Peeta.

I hear a knock at my door and I realize that it's time to prepare for my departure into the Hunger Games.

I rise and answer the door, already knowing who it is by their voice calling out to me; Cinna.

"Come now, let's get some food in you before you're sent in," Cinna says to me and I nod, grabbing a soft green robe that's laying on a chair beside the door and slipping it on as I leave my bedroom. Something I plan on seeing when I survive the games with Peeta.

As I enter the dining area, I spot Peeta in his usual seat, however when he looks over at me, he looks somewhat sad, and I can't understand exactly why.

Sitting beside him, I whisper, "I can't wait till we get home," and I smile.

Peeta nods and tries to smile back.

"When we get in the arena, we'll meet up near the closest lake in there...if they have one, alright?" I suggest.

Peeta nods once again as he pushes around the food on his plate.

Something's upsetting him, and I don't know what. I don't think I should question him, but to make him know that I care, I'll ask him.

"Peeta?" I ask sweetly.

He looks startled. "Y-yeah?"

"Is everything okay?" I ask.

He looks like he wants to say something, but he doesn't. He simply shakes his head and bites into a bread rolls on his plate.

I drop the subject and begin to eat my breakfast too.

* * *

Cinna helps me into my jacket and then pauses a moment.

"I almost forgot," Cinna says and reaches into the coat's hidden pocket. In his palm, he holds a pocketwatch. No—it's thee pocketwatch from Primrose, the only connection I have left to Gale, back home.

"I forgot about this," I shyly admit, taking it into my hands and feeling the cool brass against my fingertips, grounding me to the reality at the moment.

"I found it in your dress when I was collecting your whole wardrobe so it can be sent back home to your district; it's common protocol. Not that I believe that you won't survive; you will. You better keep that token with you. Quite the rare item, I believe," Cinna explains.

I nod and put the watch back in its pocket.

I turn and head to the tube at the corner of the room that I was told will bring me into the arena.

As I rise, I wonder to myself, what the arena is going to be like. I've never seen any of these games, so I don't know how they work.

Finally, when I reach the top, a bluish colour comes into view. Hmm...maybe that's the sky. If so, then it'll be a great day out.

Suddenly the sky is actually moving in waves and the sky is actually beneath me.

Wait a second...this isn't a sky...this is water. This is an enormous lake. And the shore is nowhere to be seen.

I am on a podium in the middle of this lake and all the other tributes are spaced out accordingly.

I look around and spot a huge looking Cornucopia. It's exactly the same thing that we use at Thanksgiving every year with both mine and Gale's families, except this one is overly large, built of steel, and instead of being filled with lots of food, it's filled with all the weapons that we all tried when we were in training practice. Gale's dream come true.

I then spot Peeta and he points to somewhere south of the Cornucopia; I think that's where we're going to meet now instead of the first waterhole which I think would be this lake.

I nod and look at everyone else who are all having glaring wars.

I wonder why no one is swimming or fighting each other. Maybe this'll give me a head start and if I run now, I won't have to fight anyone.

I make a start to dive off my podium and swim towards our meeting spot, but out of the corner of my eye, I spot Peeta's frantic face.

I stop and look at him.

"No! Don't go yet!" He mouths.

"Why?" I mouth back.

"Wait for the timer," he mouths, and points to his wrist, indicating a watch.

I nod.

Suddenly a tribute to my right jumps off their podium. And I learn why Peeta stopped me. As they fall in the water, their body starts to spasm,instantly electrocuted, and they slowly sink to the endless bottom of this lake.

Taking a closer look, I see shimmery veins of electricity flow through the ripples in the water.

I gasp and my breath gets caught in the back of my throat.

I realize that the former tribute could have been me if it wasn't for Peeta. I blush; Peeta saved my life. For some reason, that's another reason why he must survive the games with me if I want to live.

A loud electronic voice booms out amongst the arena and begins to count down from sixty. In this last minute, I feel like I am hit with a truck.

This is actually happening. I am fighting to survive, to keep Peeta alive, and to return to Gale.

And as the last few seconds before the terror begins slip away, I realize—what if I don't survive?


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

A gong goes off and everyone dives into the water safely. Huh…I guess the water's only electrified prior to the gong.

I dive into the water grateful for the many camping trips with Gale and then swimming up in the fall up there, because now I know how to swim.

The current is quite all over the place. I find that there are many whirlpools within this body of water. I try and swim towards the south, towards shore, but with the current, I can barely tell where I am.

I push myself above the waterline and try to search for Peeta, but he's nowhere to be seen. Amidst the flowing water which our clothing is no match for, are all the tributes that haven't drowned yet. And that number, I have a feeling, will drop.

I assume Peeta is fine, and/or is probably already seeking shelter for us, so I continue to keep swimming. When I reach shore, some of the tributes have already arrived and are starting on the bloodbath, killing one another without any remorse showing on their faces.

I try and sneak by them treading on the uncomfortable sand towards the jungle path when I stop to look back. I suddenly see Peeta floating in the water, in the wrong direction, towards one of the whirlpools.

Peeta doesn't see me, but I see him. I need to save him! I need him!

I quickly begin to run along the sandbar towards the direction that Peeta is heading, in hopes of maybe catching him along the river.

Just as I am about to get any further, I hear the sudden whirring coming at me, and I feel a yanking on my arm and I fall to the sand, my mouth getting a bunch of sand in it.

I look at my surrounding and find a spear resting in the sand not an inch from where I stood a moment ago. I turn my head back towards the direction it came in and find a tribute boy about my age with blond spikey hair like Peeta's, eyeing me angrily. It hits me that he had unsuccessfully tried to kill me.

I whip my head to my right and come eye to eye with a young girl who is scrambling to get up, looking around as well. She grabs my hand suddenly and pulls me up along with her and we run into the jungle that started upon the sandbar.

Even though I have no idea who she is or what she wants from me―for all I know she could be taking me to my death bed―I follow her.

We run wildly through the jungle, no knowing exactly where we're going.

Right when I'm about to take another step forward, two other tributes―one man that looks like Adonis from Greek Mythology who's my age and a girl, my age as well with short chocolate locks―both that seem like they don't deal with any funny business.

I immediately take a step back, searching for something I can use to protect myself seeing as these two other tributes hold extremely deadly weapons―a trident and axe―in their hands like their little play toys for toddlers.

"Finnick, Johanna, it's alright. She's going to be one of our allies," the little girl says.

"What?" I ask, confused. I'm partnering up with these people? Doesn't that mean I'm more vulnerable to dying and not making it back safely to Gale? What about Peeta? He's my ticket home!

"Shouldn't you have asked her beforehand? Now she knows our secret location!" Johanna says suddenly angry.

"Don't worry, it's okay; I trust her. There's something about her that tells me she's okay," the girl says.

"If anything happens, I'm holding you accountable, Rue. And you―" Johanna says pointing at me with her large axe. "No funny business, alright? Any funny business and she gets it," she points at Rue who doesn't show any emotion.

Scared suddenly for Rue, my eyes widen. "No, please, don't hurt her. Hurt me," the words fly out of my mouth before I comprehend what I am saying. Am I suddenly willing to die in a different dimension for some girl who's young, whom I barely know?

"Ooh, we've a martyr on our hands! Lovely!" Johanna says with strange enthusiasm.

"Jo, don't frighten the poor girl, she's from twelve; she's probably scared out her wits. I'm Finnick, the nasty one is Johanna and this lil' cutie is Rue," Finnick introduces.

Rue blushes at Finnick's words and Johanna grumbles under her breath.

"I'm Katniss. Does this mean if we stick together we'll all go home?" I ask.

Finnick simply smiles.

* * *

We spend the next several days living off of this arena having to fight off death-frenzy-loving tributes that seem to pop up at every other corner without warning.

When we're not fighting for survival, we end up having conversations about ourselves, however quiet ones, making sure the outside world can't hear our conversations. As much as I would love to tell them about my real story to maybe help me get home, I just can't. Some part of it is because I haven't even told Peeta the truth and as well, I don't know how these people will react. They may think I am crazy, saying that I am from a different dimension.

The number of tributes quickly decreases as the more dawns and sunsets pass overhead.

I continue to wonder at the back of my mind what was happening to Peeta―if he was still alive. From our secret hideout that's continuing to remain a secret, we cannot see the list of dead at the end of each day because of all the foliage of the jungle.

However, we are counting the number of canon explosions we hear, alerting us of the death toll.

I can start to see the end of this Game and I personally cannot wait until I can find some form of access to the internet since I probably won't have Peeta's computer anymore; there's a good chance of him not making it.

One morning, our chipper and positive attitude takes a fall when reality stabs one of us. Literally.

Rue is in charge of collecting our breakfast each morning with one of us guarding her surroundings. As I wake up this one morning, I notice that little Rue isn't asleep beside where she normally is, curled up.

"Rue?" I call out quietly, trying not to give away our location to anyone lurking nearby.

I hear nothing.

I hear a rustling a few feet beside me and find Johanna waking up. A few feet away from her I spot Finnick sitting up in his makeshift bed.

"What's going on?" Finnick asks.

"Where's Rue?" I reply with a question.

Johanna scrambles to her feet as do Finnick and I, preparing to go looking for our little ally.

We trek through the foliage, searching for her until Finnick spots her body imprint on the ground.

He suddenly contorts his face in pain and then looks to the sky which can be seen as a clear coat of blue above us. "Why?" he whines sadly in question.

If I wasn't sure about where she was before Finnick began crying aloud, I know now. This is all that's left of her. Left of such a young girl, that some sick tribute felt that killing an innocent child was an okay thing to do. What is wrong with this dimension? I mean, there are crazy sick people of my other dimension of real day, but this? These Games filled with children for entertainment? These citizens are sick. Gosh, just thinking about it makes my stomach upset.

I stay back a few feet away from them, giving the two who knew here better than I did some time to pay their respects to her.

Once they begin to wander back to our hideout, I go up to what Finnick has found and kneel on the ground. I close my eyes and mentally thank Rue for saving me every time that I've had close calls to death in this arena with her.

I open my eyes and look down. Beside the outline is a twig and in the mud is writing.

I can barely make out the dying scrawl but from what I do decipher, it's been written:

_Peeta is still out there._

* * *

**A/N: Well, it's been a while. Sorry for the late update, I've been busy with school as well as I've had a few plot bunnies here and there that I've posted on this site. I also had a case of writer's block in there too. Well, please let me know what you think of the chapter. It might be a bit short lived, however, I don't want to spend too much time in the arena. I want to focus on the other part of story. Like always in all my stories, this is unbetaed, sorry for any mistakes. Thanks!**


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